Moon at Apogee
by Aishuu
Summary: The past comes back to bite Yuuko as Clow's final legacy shows up on her doorstep.
1. Moondance

**Moon at Apogee**

An XXXholic/Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction

_by aishuu_

* * *

_Part One:_

Although Yuuko was used to having visitors show up at all hours, that didn't mean she was happy to be woken up at two in the morning by the wards on her gates. She hadn't been expecting anyone, and she was admittedly cranky as she wrapped a robe around herself, prepared to chase the intruder off. She just wasn't in the mood to deal with people, not unless they managed to find the right price - and since she'd gotten out of bed, it would be very, very expensive.

It was drizzling slightly, small sputters of water that didn't deserve to be called "rain." Pushing her door open, she scowled as she tried to find the presence lingering on her property. Something was itching at the back of her mind, the warning that whatever was outside wasn't human.

Maybe she should have grabbed her baseball bat.

There wasn't anything that could be an active threat to her, not in her own territory, so she brushed the thought aside. Nothing would be here without purpose; she should rein her temper in and remember that she had a job to do, even if it _was_ at an ungodly hour of the night. She'd just factor her discomfort into whatever price she was to charge.

It was too still out; there should have been the sound of rain upon the ground as it struck the earth, but she could hear nothing. Other noises, like the chirp of crickets, were missing as well. It was likely someone had cast a silence spell.

So, whatever the intruder was could use magic. Forewarned was forearmed, and she mentally began to prepare herself. Yuuko usually performed magic using tools, but that didn't mean she couldn't cast something nasty off the top of her head. More than once she had done so when something hostile tried to attack. She made a few motions with her hands, readying a spell, just in case.

She didn't feel any kind of threat, but she had never had a true gift of prophecy, not like Clow did. Her specialty was seeing into the hearts of others, and finding out what made them tick. Clow had been good at that, too, but then he'd been good at everything.

Taking a deep breath to keep from screaming in frustration, she counted slowly backwards from ten to give herself some time to think. If it was indeed a silence spell - and Yuuko was convinced it was - it only had a range of around 15 meters. Logically, the person would be in the middle of the spell... which meant the caster was close.

Glancing around, she looked for things that were out of place - and noticing how thick the shadow at the base of the large oak tree that dominated the far corner of her yard was. Waving a hand, she dispelled the magic which had gathered the shadows and enveloped the area in silence.

She recognized him immediately, although they had never met. There was nothing else in this world - or many others - with wings like his, white and gracefully arching above his head, framing his slender body. His clothes, made of white and violet silk, draped over his form gracefully. He would have cut a dashing figure, had he not been huddled on the ground miserably, his arms wrapped around his knees.

Her face drained of blood. Already fair, her skin took on the shade of the belly of a dead fish. She took a few unsteady steps toward him, uncharacteristically unsure of herself. She had never wanted to meet this creature, this being Clow had created of magic and moonlight and unfulfilled dreams.

"Yue-san?" Yuuko whispered.

Yue jerked as she spoke his name, startled out of his reverie. He focused his gaze on her, and she saw the terror and loneliness reflected in his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to sound imperious. Instead, he merely sounded like a lost child.

She could deal with this, she told herself. She moved closer, using a gliding step that would convey subconscious control and power. When she was an arm's length away, she spoke. "I am the Dimension Witch," she said, pulling herself to her full height. "You may call me Yuuko," she said. "I was a friend of Clow Reed's."

Yue had tensed at her approach, but the name of his creator was like a magic, casting a spell of trust. It wasn't overt, but she noticed how his wings relaxed on his back, and he didn't seem so ready for flight. "You... knew him?" he asked, his voice broken.

"I did," she reaffirmed. "Quite well, in fact." Yue was getting wet, she noticed, as a drop hit his cheek and rolled down it like a tear. "Come inside, and let's get something hot to drink," she said. She would have held out a hand to help him rise, but she couldn't stand the thought of touching this creature.

"I don't drink," he said.

"It doesn't need to be alcoholic," she replied, refraining from rolling her eyes. Really, how could anything Clow created not enjoy tossing back a bottle or two?

He shook his head, denying the offer. "I meant I don't need food for nourishment," he said. "I get my energy elsewhere."

That would be like Clow, she decided. He was just arrogant enough to create a being that didn't require food, just to prove he _could._ "Fine. Come in and dry off, and we'll talk. You did come here to see me, didn't you?" As if anything could enter her yard without needing to see her.

He remained quiet, those inhuman, cat-slit eyes watching her like she was a quantity he hadn't quite identified yet, but knew enough to be cautious of. She took a few steps, before turning to cant an inquiring eyebrow in his direction. "Well?"

He still looked suspicious with narrowed, lavender eyes, but rose to his feet in one swift movement. He moved like flowing water, and she noted after a second that his bare feet hovered about an inch above the moist grass. He smoothed a hand over his robes, before coming to float beside her, utterly silent.

The door opened, seemingly by its own will, as they approached. She usually didn't indulge in casual displays of magic, but tonight she wanted to create an impression. Clow had always used his power for even the most mundane things, and it would work well to getting the upper hand on Yue, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with. Clow wasn't the only one who had mastered the game of minds.

Maru and Moro met them at the door, ready as always to serve her needs. "Get Yue-san a towel, and I could use something warm to drink," she said, handing her umbrella off to Maru as she turned her body enough to look at Yue without being obvious. "It will just be a moment."

The two chirped in cheerful acquiescence, scurrying away quickly to fulfill her bidding. Yue looked even more out of place in her home than he had outside. In the light, she noticed how the damp had made his clothes cling to his body, the drapes over his shoulder not falling as gracefully as they should. He looked bedraggled, like a doll that had been left outside overnight.

Yue seemed indifferent, one of those people that didn't feel the need to fill an uncomfortable atmosphere with words. Despite her usual attitude, Yuuko was an incredibly patient person as well, and both of them were stubborn enough to wait for the other to break down first and indulge in idle conversation.

Her eyes tracked the slow movement of a bead of water down Yue's right hand, before it fell to the floor in one perfect moment. He didn't seem to notice, but the smell of his feathers as they started to dry made her nose itch. If it had been anyone but Yue, Yuuko would have took him to task. What kind of being sat out in the rain getting wet moping? It was melodramatic and tacky, and now _she_ had to smell the consequences.

Finally Maru popped up from behind, carrying a thick, red towel that was twice the size of an average bath towel. She bowed, proffering it to Yue, who stared at her blankly.

"Dry yourself off," Yuuko ordered. "I don't want you dripping all over my floors."

He blinked at her slowly, his eyelids coming together in a manner that resembled a lizard. He glanced at the towel, and then Yuuko, before sighing a bit. Lifting his hand, a faint glow lit his fingers, and the water began to gather into a shining blue sphere. He wasn't drying himself off so much as collecting the water that had soaked him through. She watched quietly, realizing that he probably wasn't aware of the arrogance implied through the gesture. It was considered rude to use magic in the home of another practitioner without asking first, but Yue probably used magic with the same ease of a fish breathing underwater.

It took only moments for his clothes to return to a pristine state. Tossing the ball gently, it dissipated into the air. His eyes challenged her, his posture just a bit straighter, as he waited for her reaction.

Apparently he _did_ know better.

"That works, too," she said drolly, not rising to the bait. She handed the towel back to her helper, before raising a hand to gesture. "Follow me, Yue-san," she ordered.

He was obedient, wordlessly floating beside her. His wings stayed idle, more for ornamentation than anything else, raising the question of what he had them for. Clow had been a big believer is aesthetics, but he also had a practical streak. Everything had a purpose in Clow's world, but that didn't mean it couldn't be beautiful.

She led him to her sitting room, the one she re-decorated whenever the mood struck her. It'd been a decade since she'd gotten into one of those moods, however, and she noted with suddenly fresh eyes that the upholstery was starting to wear. She should do something about it.

Yuuko wondered how he would sit with all the feathers on his back, but she waved him to a chair anyway. He must have learned how to cope.

Yue nodded, and then his wings vanished, and along with it, some of the intense aura of moon magic. He was still exceptional, but it no longer had the _pull_ of power that would make him irresistible to those strongly aligned with the moon. It was a relief to her, since most of her magic was oriented to the dark. He sat in the chair primly, his hands folded into his lap. His eyes never left her as she reclined gracefully across her favorite chaise.

Moro appeared from behind her, handing her a cup of instant hot chocolate. With a sigh of satisfaction, Yuuko quaffed the mug before handing it back. Maru offered a second one, and Yuuko held it in her hands, letting the warmth permeate her chilled skin. "Thank you," she said to her assistants, although they required no courtesy. "That will be all."

The two chirped a cheerful goodnight before darting away.

Yue had just watched silently, no reaction on his face. Smiling, she tilted her face toward him. "So, Yue-san, can you tell me how you came to be in my yard in the middle of the night during a rainstorm?" she asked, lifting a wry eyebrow.

"I woke up," he said after a long moment, "and didn't know where to go." He spoke in a monotone voice, but she could see his confusion from the tense set of his shoulders. "I'm not supposed to wake up before Kerberus, but he's still sleeping in the book."

She remembered the preliminary drawings of the proud, leonine beast Clow had created to guard his cards. Now that Clow was gone, he would be sealed away, waiting for a new master. Clow had told her enough for her to know that. Yue should have been asleep as well, but something had changed.

"What do you remember of being sealed?" Yuuko asked, tilting her head back, sending her long black hair flowing over her shoulder. She had a case of bed-head, but she'd learned to act as if that was intentional. Nothing was more intimidating - or annoying - than someone who was always in control of every situation.

Yue thought on the question, and a slight furrow appeared between his eyes, like a wrinkle in white satin. "I can't remember," he said, his soft voice sounding confused.

"What's the last thing you remember?" A suspicion was starting to take root in the back of her mind.

"I..." His expression smoothed over, like the clouds hiding the moon at night, offering little light. "Clow had died," he said. "I remember carrying him out to the woods, and Kerberus cast a fire spell to cremate him."

"And then?"

"Waking up beside the book."

There _was_ a memory gap, Yuuko thought with annoyance. She supposed the gap could be explained by the trauma of losing his master, but Yue was a magical creation. His recall should have been perfect. Clow had tampered, even after his death. That smug, sanctimonious bastard. "Do you remember being sealed?" she asked, just to confirm.

"No."

Yue was an unusual person, she thought. Throughout the conversation, he hadn't fidgeted or shifted at all, instead maintaining his perfect posture with a stillness that was unnatural. It reminded her of Clow, just a bit, since he had often carried a sense of serenity that aggravated her to no end.

Clow must have messed with Yue's memories. It was just the type of heavy-handed thing he did, justifying it to himself because _he knew better._ That had been one of their most vehement points of disagreement; Yuuko wouldn't act unless asked, while Clow tried to arrange events to come to the "best conclusion." His manipulations may have been subtle, but she hated them. She preferred to think of the future as fluid, but Clow froze the waters of time into ice, guaranteeing a certain course would be taken.

"Why did you come here?" she asked again.

"Can you... help me return to the book? Clow said that the Dimension Witch granted wishes."

It wasn't a surprising request. In the book, he would be sealed away to sleep dreamlessly until he was awoken for the Final Judgment. Since he was a magical construct, he shouldn't have held dreams of his own, but Yue had been created by Clow. He was as exception to all the rules.

"I don't think you can pay the price," she told him honestly. His lips firmed as he prepared to protest, causing her to continue, even though she didn't want to. "I can offer you a room for tonight," she said. "Then we will discuss what is to become of you."

"What is the cost of that?" he asked, taking her aback slightly. She hadn't expected him to understand the subtle rules of her world.

Damn Clow. He knew this was going to happen; he had set them up. Touching the pendant she wore at her throat, she managed a lazy smile. "The price has already been paid."

"By whom?" He wasn't going to let it go.

"Your master," Yuuko conceded.

The tension in Yue's body faded. She could practically read his mind. If Clow had wanted him here, Yue was thinking, then it was best he stayed. Had he been human, she would have smacked him for his meekness.

"That would be kind of you," he said. Although polite, his words were devoid of meaning since he knew enough of her to realize that she possessed no kindness. She was the ultimate capitalist, and compassion had no place in her business.

Rising to her feet, she gestured for him to follow. "I'll show you to a room. Moro and Maru can get you anything you need," she offered, although she knew it was an idle politeness. If he didn't eat or drink, chances were he wouldn't have any material needs. The idea of Clow creating an ascetic was humorous, from a certain point of view. For Yuuko, who enjoyed material comforts of life, it was almost an insult. It was like Clow had created Yue to be her complete opposite. She wouldn't put it past him, but hoped he hadn't been that petty. Clow usually had reasons that even she couldn't decipher for why he acted the way he did.

On cue, her servants appeared, offering Yue their hands. He folded his own in his sleeves, politely declining the suggestion that he needed to be led so closely. He wasn't a tactile creature, not at all, another difference from Maru and Moro.

He looked over at her once, a fleeting, passing glance. It was his nature to judge, and she wondered how she was faring. She hadn't given him what he wanted, but maybe she could offer him what he needed.

And then she would make sure their paths never crossed again. Surely that wouldn't be too high a price to charge. She wanted a bottle of sake, something smooth and strong that would help her wash away her thoughts just for a little while. While she often remembered Clow, it wasn't often she was so directly confronted with evidence of their mistakes. Once she had been full of pride, but she had paid to learn about humility.

Dwelling on the past would bring her nothing except regrets, and she wasn't going to indulge in self-pity. For now, she was going to go to bed and get a bit more sleep. Tomorrow she might find it easier to solve the problem of her unwanted house guest.


	2. Moon River

**Moon at Apogee**

An XXXholic/Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction

_by aishuu_

* * *

_Part Two:_

She met Clow when she was young and foolish. Back then, she had been confident in her powers and believed she understood her destiny well. She was born to be the Dimension Witch, the one being in existence that could touch all the worlds without cost to herself. She existed to provide people what they truly needed.

Her mother had been the last Dimension Witch. Theirs was an unbroken line, back to the minute before creation. She had been young when her mother died, but that was understandable. Yuuko had only come into existence because Yuuna had finally tired of life. That was the pattern; one day, Yuuko would probably seek her death as well, burdened by too many hurts from a world that always _wanted_ things, no matter how high the cost might be.

The day before she died, Yuuna gave her daughter the only gift she ever would. After drinking tea together, the old witch pulled Yuuko's cup close to her to stare at the leaves. A slight sigh of disappointment rose from her lips, and she uttered a prophecy.

"You will never have what you want most," the older witch said, twisting the cup around several times in her hands, seeking the warmth from inside the fragile china.

Yuuko had known her mother was going to die the next day, and didn't understand why Yuuna was being so cruel. "I don't really want anything," she said.

"You will, and it will only bring you sorrow. Don't be fooled by your pride for we all must bow before the dictates of destiny."

It was the last conversation they had. The next day Yuuko buried Yuuna's body under the tallest sakura tree in Ueno Park. It wasn't until later that she realized exactly what the prophecy meant.

That was when she met Clow.

Their meeting was not particularly auspicious. It was sometime in the 1800's, and Yuuko was living on the continent. She preferred Japan, but eventually her lack of aging was noticed by the locals. They were a superstitious lot, and what they did to witches wasn't her idea of a day well spent.

Hong Kong was a noisy city under British occupation, full of foreigners and locals mixing together with suspicion. It was easy for her to blend in; the locals assumed she was one of the foreigners, while the foreigners looked only at her coloring and assumed she was a native. She didn't bother to correct their misconceptions. While she never lied, it didn't keep her from indulging in selective truths.

It was a slow day for wish granting, and she had decided to leave her shop and search the city. She took pleasure in the exploring her surroundings, and liked to keep up to date with the latest trends. She'd heard stories about a fortune teller who was never wrong, and wanted to see if they were true. It was dangerous to cast her own fortune, but she liked to know.

The shop was located at the end of Bird Street, in a discreet building that looked residential. She glanced up at the three story-building, wondering if this was the right place. There was no sign outside to indicate the wonders that were performed inside, no hint that a seer offered to tell fortunes.

It couldn't hurt to look, though, and she pushed her way inside passed the draping curtain to take a look. She stepped into a sparsely, though elegantly, furnished room lacking most of the traipsings of fortune telling. That was either a very good sign, or a very bad one.

A man stepped out, dressed in long robes of blue which were lined with astrological symbols. At least he looked the part, she thought cynically. She pulled herself up to her full height, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to speak.

"What can I do for you, miss?" he said politely.

She felt her hope whither entirely. This was another con man, despite his magnificent trappings. A real practitioner would have immediately recognized her for who she was. She didn't let his disappointment show, instead deciding to have some fun at the man's expense. "Don't you know, fortune teller?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

He didn't rise to the bait, replying smoothly, "Of course I do, Dimension Witch, but it's only polite to ask," with that blasted smile of his not wavering as he upset her assessment of him. "Would you like a cup of tea as I prepare your reading?"

"That would be nice," she agreed, sitting down on the querant's chair.

She watched as he prepared the tea in an abbreviated tea ceremony. He had capable hands, she thought. Efficient hands, she amended a couple of moments later when he placed green tea in front of her.

The tea was a bitter brew, but he set out a small dish of sweets that more than offset it. She smiled, pleased at his hospitality. "What kind of prices do you charge?" she asked carefully.

He pushed his glasses up his nose. "What can you afford to pay, Dimension Witch?"

That almost made her laugh. It was rare for someone to try to reverse roles with her. "It depends on how good you are," she replied.

"I am the best you will ever meet," he said, with a slight smile curving his lips. Normally she would have been put off by his hubris, but something was telling her that he spoke the truth.

"Then what price will I pay?" she asked, testing.

"You'll have dinner with me tonight," he said, and then he smiled. "I foresee a great future in front of us."

Normally Yuuko would have laughed off the blatant come-on, but she found herself intrigued. Something in Clow's smile hinted that he just wasn't giving her a line, but the truth.

* * *

She woke up the next morning feeling tired and irritable. The late night interruption had disrupted her sleep, and when she finally found rest again, she was plagued by dreams, both of the future and the past. The brief insight they offered was confusing and nonsensical, like most dreams.

She was in a poor mood as Moro and Maru helped her prepare for the day. She was tempted to put on her most impressive robes to establish her authority over Yue, but recognized the impulse was petty. Instead she dressed in trendy pants and a halter top that left most of her pale stomach exposed. Her only jewelry was her favorite butterfly pendant, and she left her hair loose.

Opening the door to the room that Yue had been given, she was surprised to find he was asleep. He ignored the bed, instead taking a place in the far corner and propping himself up. His wings were gone, tucked away into the magical pocket that kept them safe and out of his way.

Sleeping, he looked beautiful but the expression of sadness was still engraved on the still lines of his face. A previously unacknowledged maternal streak in Yuuko made her consider finding a blanket and covering him – before she remembered exactly who she was.

Yuuko debated internally if waking him would be wise. Some people didn't react well finding themselves in a strange place, and it could throw him off balance.

"Maru, can you help Yue-san wake up?" she asked sweetly. It was mean of her to do, but a slight smirk crossed her lips as her servant left the room, returning several moments later with oversized cymbals. Yuuko put her fingers in her ears, smirking all the more as her braided servant dashed them together loudly and with great enthusiasm.

The loud "clash!" reverberated through the room, loud enough to wake the dead. Unfortunately, Yue just raised his head slowly, leveling narrowed eyes on Maru. He hadn't even startled.

Damn him. He probably hadn't been sleeping since she'd entered, she thought with annoyance.

"Good morning!" she trilled, not letting him defeat her. "Time to get up, sunshine! Or maybe I should say moonshine!" She let out a loud cackle, hiding her face behind her left hand.

He looked like he was ready to spit something equally sarcastic back at her, but then his face smoothed into deadened neutrality. "Do you always wake your guests in such a manner?" he asked.

"Only the ones that need it," she replied, wishing she had thought to bring her pipe so she could blow smoke rings at him. "Even though you don't need to eat, I'd like you to accompany me to breakfast."

He rose to his feet, tucking his hands into his sleeves. He didn't acknowledge his acceptance of her invitation, but he didn't disagree. She decided to take his silence as affirmation, and swept out of the room. Yuuko didn't need to glance back to know that he was following her – his magic was so close that it tickled her nose, just like a feather would.

They made themselves comfortable in Yuuko's main room, where she usually conducted her business and lounged the day away. Maru and Moro appeared not too long after bearing the makings of breakfast – fresh fruit, dry cereal and a cup of tea. She knelt at the low table, and Yue took the position across from her.

He stared as she ate, and she decided she didn't like that experience. Usually her guests would talk, but Yue was again doing his statue imitation. She dug her spoon into the grapefruit, pulling out a segment of the tart fruit. It looked like she would have to start the conversation.

"Do you have any idea of what you would like to do?" she asked. 

"Do?"

"With your life," she said, taking a sip of tea to keep from adding anything on it.

"I guard the Clow Cards," he said. "That is my duty."

"There's more to life than duty."

"It's intriguing you say so, Dimension Witch," Yue said coolly, and it was a slight sign of personality that actually made her like him a bit better. She preferred to deal with him lashing out at her than apathy. There was nothing worse than someone who did nothing.

"I enjoy my life, thank you." A thought occurred to her. "Why aren't you with the deck right now?"

He frowned, a line of concentration appearing on his too-perfect face. "I couldn't stay there," he said softly as he worked to express what had motivated him to leave. "The cards are quiet – and Kerberus is snoring too loudly for me to go back to sleep."

There was more to the situation than that, Yuuko knew, but she couldn't keep from smirking a bit. She had heard stories about Clow's sun guardian through their acquaintances, and it was interesting to get confirmation there had been a grain of truth in them.

"Where is the deck right now?"

"Do you think I'll tell you?" he asked disdainfully.

"Couldn't hurt," she said, shrugging. "It's truly a priceless object, and I'd like to get a good look at it." She had seen the deck once before, but wasn't going to hint that to Yue.

"I will not allow it to fall into your possession," Yue said fiercely. The air filled with the static of strong emotion and imminent magic.

"I cannot possess what I do not earn," she replied, shaking her head. "That is not the way the rules work."

He stared at her, not replying. She waited for him to speak again, but five minutes ticked by and she realized that he didn't have anything to say. Mentally she contemplated the possibility of kicking him out, but she knew that her choice had been made years ago, although she hadn't realized it. "You will stay here until I figure out what to do with you," she told him.

He nodded, obviously relieved to have someone else take responsibility. "Is my stay paid for?"

She wasn't going to admit how much she owed Clow. "It's part of the service. It's not like you're going to be eating me out of house and home."


	3. Blue Moon of Tokyo

**Moon at Apogee**

An XXXholic/Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction

_by aishuu_

* * *

_Part Three:_

The last time she saw Clow was a cold winter day. He'd appeared on her doorstep, smiling as he held a deep, blue umbrella over his head, keeping the gentle fall of snow from touching his clothes. He could have used magic, as he did for so many insignificant things, but he was fond of certain quirky habits, and one of them was walking in rainstorms. It was too cold for that now, so he made due with snow.

After she opened the door to see him - her minor precognitive abilities had supplied no warning, so it was with genuine curiosity that she'd answered - she almost slammed the door shut to block him out. It would have been a futile gesture, since nothing could keep Clow from entering if he really wanted to get in. Despite his pose at being a gentleman, Clow was ruthless if pushed.

Clow smiled as her fingers twitched on the door frame. "May I say you're looking particularly lovely tonight?" he asked. "Can I come in?"

She was still angry at him, but she had never expected him to be the one to make the first move toward reconciliation. Clow was just as stubborn as she was, and just as convinced that he'd been the one in the right. "I'd rather not deal with you right now, Clow," she said, and started to shut the door. She still hadn't healed from the wounds he'd inadvertently inflicted on the very fiber of her being.

He moved quickly, catching the door before it latched close, and keeping it open. "I'm here on business. I have a Wish I would like you to grant," he said.

"A Wish?" she asked, raising her left eyebrow. Clow knew better than many that her shop charged dearly for its services.

"That's what you do, isn't it?"

"Come in, then," she said, stepping away from the door. If someone was willing to pay for her services – and Clow would know she'd extract a terribly high price from him – she couldn't turn them away.

"Thank you," he murmured. He shook his umbrella four times to discard the snow that had collected before shutting it. When he let the handle go, it vanished, dismissed until its owner needed it again.

Once that would have provoked a smart-ass comment from Yuuko about showing off, but their relationship was too damaged to enjoy that kind of playful intimacy. Instead, she turned, indicating with a jerk of her finger that he was to follow. She led him into her sitting room and took her accustomed place on the divan. Once he would have joined her there, but now he sank gracefully down onto the pillow she kept for customers.

Behind her, Moro and Maru stood sentinel, watching with impassive eyes. They made no indication that the man who had aided in their creation was special; they were loyal only to her, and reflected her mood.

"What do you want, Clow?" she demanded, cutting to the chase and ignoring the usual polite preliminary of offering refreshment.

He hesitated for a moment, but then that blasted smile emerged. "I have something for you," he said.

"What makes you think I want it? All gifts come with a price, especially gifts from you."

Wordlessly he reached into his sleeve, pulling out a piece of jewelry and holding it in front of her. The necklace had been made for her, she knew instantly. The large pendant was shaped liked a butterfly, with a collection of gems serving as colors of the wings, each the prize stone from a different world. It hung from a thick silver chain, and she knew without asking that the metal wouldn't tarnish.

Yuuko had always been attracted to shiny baubles and _things._ She was an unrepentant collector, avaricious when it came to possessing unique items. Her hands shook as she claimed it from him. Touching the stone, she felt the magic in it. It was powerful, containing a sliver of Clow's magic that had been pulled from his soul. It made her hair stand on end.

The necklace was priceless, a combination of sorcery and rarity that only Clow Reed was able to produce.

"It's a princely trinket," she said. "What do you want for it?" Better than anyone, he knew the rules she operated under.

"Consider it a down payment on services you'll render in the future."

"What service?" she asked suspiciously. He was the strongest seer she knew, and she was wise enough to suspect his motives. A price like this wasn't given casually.

"It won't be anything you don't want to give, Yuuko," he said, using her name for the first time since they had parted company. "I promise."

Clow was always true to his word, she thought. It would do no harm to strike a bargain, and she _wanted_ this necklace. Holding out her hand, she indicated her silent acceptance of the deal.

"Thank you," he whispered, and his shoulders lifted as though a great burden had been removed.

"You knew I couldn't resist," she said resentfully. Once upon a time, she might have asked for Clow's assistance in putting the necklace on, but now she put it on herself, blindly fastening the chain behind her neck. "You made it for me."

He was uncharacteristically silent, before nodded acknowledgment of her accusation. "I made it for someone I love dearly," he replied. "Both now, and for always."

She turned her head aside, not wanting to start this argument again. "I am the Dimension Witch," she said flatly. "No man can own my heart." How she wished she hadn't learned that truth so painfully. She rested her hand on her abdomen, trying to suppress the residual nausea that the memories evoked.

"I never meant to hurt you, Yuuko," he told her, rising to his feet and moving toward the door.

She had known that, and that was what truly hurt the most. Clow, the insufferably, superior, _loving_ bastard, had only meant to do what he thought was right. "We are not judged by our intent, but by the result of our actions."

He sighed, and she rose to her feet to see him to the door in spite of herself. Something momentous was about to happen; it was times like this she wished she had true foresight, rather than claircognizance. What happened next was going to be important.

He turned back around to stare into her face, and she had to tilt her head upwards to look into his vivid blue eyes. She couldn't find a voice to speak with.

"Goodbye, Yuuko," he said, and for a second, he looked sad. To her surprise, he raised a hand to tuck one of her loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I wish I could apologize for the things I've done."

"You wouldn't mean it, so don't waste your words," she replied, and he left without another word. It was the last thing she ever said to him.

Clow died the next day.

* * *

A week of living with Yue was sheer hell.

Yue was a quiet guest, never asking for anything. He spent much of his time staring at nothing, and only replied when directly prompted. For Yuuko, a naturally effervescent personality, it was horrible, since Yue had no visible sense of humor, and no desire to show any reaction. He really acted like a marionette whose puppet master had forgotten about him and was no fun to be around.

He did require sleep, but preferred to do so in the middle of the day when the sun was at its highest. If he could, Yue would stay up all night, gazing with a blank expression at the sky as he sat on her roof like a gargoyle.

It was a good thing her house wasn't noticeable except to her clients, because otherwise he'd have attracted all sorts of attention. The two clients who arrived to seek their wishes since Yue had arrived wrote him off as part of the strangeness of the house. He'd just sat in her parlor, not paying them any mind. Maybe they'd even thought he was some peculiar kind of artwork, rather than a living creature.

Yuuko left him to himself after the first day, deciding that he would speak when it was time. She had learned patience over her years, and knew that Yue wasn't going anywhere, no matter what she would have liked. He was helpless in the real world, cut adrift from the people and places he had known.

Three days in, he appeared to have come to a decision, and his inactivity changed. Suddenly he was constantly around, on hand to attend to her every need. She had discovered he was an adequate cook, but his food lacked the true savor that only caring could bring. For him, putting together a meal was a duty, not a pleasure, and while it was splendidly prepared, it lacked that _je ne sais quois_ that marked genuinely good cooks.

She realized what was happening almost immediately. Yue was trying to use her to replace Clow. He had been created to serve a master and couldn't change his intrinsic nature. Moro and Maru, though, already existed for her, and she knew that he couldn't keep hiding in her house forever.

She made a couple of attempts to hint that he might want to think on what he _wanted_ to do, but he didn't pick up on her insinuations. He wasn't stupid; far from it. But it seemed that he'd been created without any sense of self. It really, really irritated her.

But her irritation was compounded with worry, along with awareness that this wasn't chance. Clow had sent Yue to her, and even paid for her help; even if he hadn't, she still would have been responsible for the Moon Guardian. There were other ties beyond that of obligation that bound her.

Yuuko realized that she would have to be proactive to find a solution. She wasn't sure if looking into Yue's future was a good idea, but couldn't see any other option. She wanted him out of her life as soon as possible.

There were different methods used to divine the future, but she figured water would tell her the most. Yue was a creature of secrets, but water and air were the elements he had the most connection to. Fire wouldn't know him, and while he had an affinity for plants, earth didn't love him. Air was always difficult to make sense of, since it whispered cryptic prophecies faintly. Water, though mutable, was also a constant.

She waited until the evening to cast the spell. Yuuko dressed in black, her favorite color, and had Moro and Maru lace her into the tight gown before arranging her head in a complicated twist on the top of her head. There was power in ceremonial garb, and power in the confidence she gained when she dressed her official part.

Yuuko went to the storeroom herself instead of sending her servants to fetch what she needed, understanding that effort invested would come back threefold. The silver pitcher – another of Yue's colors – was one she'd received quite a while before. She'd provided a wish to a rather sweet young man, and the price had been a family heirloom that was proof of his identity.

Her fingers traced over the runes which had been carved into the silver. Despite its lengthy stay in her storeroom, it hadn't tarnished at all. There was magic in the craftsmanship, but also magic in the family tie created by the former owners. "It will serve," she whispered to herself before sweeping grandly out of the room, although there was no one there to impress.

Yue raised an eyebrow as she headed out into the courtyard clad in full Dimension Witch regalia, but wisely didn't follow. Her servants moved to stand just inside the door in case she needed them.

The moon was full, and she dipped the pitcher in, collecting a bit of the water that had caught the moon's reflection, the water which contained the most ambient power. Hydromancy wasn't a specialty of hers. She wasn't much of a seer, not like Clow had been. But she had power, and she could channel it.

The spells were relatively simple, and she moved her hand over the water. She didn't need words – water never really liked being contained by such form as language. Instead she let her thoughts crystallize, using her memories of Yue as the focus. How he moved, how he spoke, how he looked. She kept coming back to his lonely expression, and how utterly adrift he seemed.

The magic worked, because it didn't take long for the water to reflect what she assumed was a real-time image of him. The light was pouring up from the water, and she saw Yue sitting in the room she'd assigned him, his face void of all emotion. Somehow his posture seemed defeated, despite the correctness of his carriage.

She understood. Yue had lost Clow, the man who had been father and master and god to him. A part of her wondered if it might just be kinder to put him out of his misery.

The water rippled, and the image shifted. She saw a man's face, one built along the same lines as Clow, but it was not him. The smile lacked that edge that made Clow dangerous, but contained the gentleness that had breached her defenses. He was doing something at a desk, but none of the papers that surrounded him had anything to do with magic. Then he turned his head toward her, and she had the feeling that he was seeing her.

So Clow had been reincarnated. That did not surprise her. She opened her mouth to demand what the hell was going on – if Clow still existed, why wasn't he taking care of Yue? - but the man raised his finger to his lips, indicating a desire for her silence.

She nodded her acceptance, because despite what had gone before between them, she trusted him. Clow had a purpose; he always had a purpose.

The door opened again, and another man – really, just a teenager – walked into the room. His form was rangy and unfinished, but he was already strikingly attractive, with dark hair and familiar, stunning blue eyes. Her heart clenched as she realized what she was seeing.

He was the child Clow had always wanted, the child she couldn't give him.

The warmth in Clow's reincarnation's expression was undeniable as he conversed with _his son_ and she had to regulate her breathing to keep from screaming or reacting or losing face. She just watched as he spoke to his child, although she couldn't hear what was being said. After a brief conversation, the teenager left, and Clow was alone again.

Then he turned his face directly toward her, and nodded in acknowledgment of her presence. The ripples started to spread across the surface of the water, and she was looking into nothing but a silver vase, the magic spent.

It was a thoughtful Yuuko that returned to the house. She wasn't sure why she had been sent visions of Clow's reincarnated life, but there was one thing she had learned. There was no place for Yue in Clow's life. That door had been closed.

His path must follow another course.


	4. Dancing in the Moonlight

**Moon at Apogee**

by aishuu

* * *

_Part Four: Dancing in the Moonlight_

Yuuko was seldom truly reckless, but she threw herself into a friendship with Clow Reed with little thought to consequences. It was something she never admitted regretting, despite how great the fall out had been.

It was like turning on a switch in a dark room, all of the sudden having a close friend. For her entire life, she had been separated by her role, and her power. While she made many casual friends – particularly with the spirits and mythical creatures that most people didn't think were real – there were few who she spent extended amounts of time with.

But it was so much fun to have someone in lighting up her life who didn't expect anything of her but companionship. The thing she liked most about him was that he didn't have some preconceived notion of what the Dimension Witch was supposed to be like. He accepted her as she was, and didn't project any of his expectations on her. It gave her remarkable freedom to explore another aspect of her personality, one which she usually to sublimate while dealing with her customers. She could be playful and silly, without having him react with horror or disappointment.

Clow understood her like no one else. He was also separate, differentiated from the rest of humanity by his own heritage and skill. He was younger than she was by quite a bit, but still much older than he looked. He also was a divine cook, and loved to concoct esoteric meals that satisfied the palate.

She would sit in the kitchen, watching as he prepared the food. Yuuko was a lousy cook herself, finding the process annoying, but she liked to sip at a drink and talk with him. Unlike her, he was a master of multi-tasking, always able to keep three things going at once while holding a conversation.

He talked about his work, about his desire to combine eastern and western magic practices into a whole new system. Yuuko suspected the desire extended from a more personal goal to bridge his two heritages, but wasn't so tactless as to point that out. She found the concept interesting, but doubted that few magic users would find it practical. Her magic was heavily rooted in the eastern traditions, and wouldn't combine well with the blunter methods of the West.

Clow, of course, had merely smirked in that almost saccharine fashion of his when she voiced her doubts. "You'll see, Yuuko," he told her, before offering her another glass of brandy – one western thing she _had_ taken a liking to.

His response peaked her curiosity, and she wondered what he would do. Clow was one of those who settled an argument by proving his point. Yuuko could let a topic continue unanswered, but Clow always wanted more definitive answers, rather than merely discussing the possibilities. The results were sometimes explosive, and once there had been green slime involved, but it would be fun to see what he came up with this time.

She had been surprised when he told her he was going to go into into seclusion for a year to work on a project. Clow was a social creature, surrounded by a never-ending stream of family or people seeking out his supposed "wisdom." While she might have had a couple choice comments on that topic, most of them revered him a fawning deference that had to be tiring. Being put on a pedestal wasn't a comfortable seat, no matter how pretty it might be.

She'd known him for almost a decade at that point, and she knew she would miss him sorely. While she did have other tasks to occupy herself, it just wasn't the same as knowing she'd have someone to gripe at if her day was truly horrible. Until he was gone, she hadn't realized how very lonely her life had been before she had met him.

But life moved on, and she did as well. She sold Wishes, and read the newspapers that she collected from various sites throughout this world and others. It was a humdrum existence, but she could feel the frisson pass through her body when she woke up the day that he would return.

When he knocked on her door that evening, it was an effort to maintain her usual sangfroid when all she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms. "I hope you brought the sake," she declared, foregoing any formal words of welcome or any affectionate gesture.

He smiled, and the way his eyes shut with crinkled pleasure nearly made her melt. He was adorable, like a little boy who was just too cute to be believed. "Of course I did," he replied, and she stepped aside to let him into her house.

He moved easily to her parlor without waiting for invitation. There was a bounce in his step that spoke of barely contained excitement, an _I've-got-something-wonderful-I-can't-wai t-to-talk-about_ enthusiasm. Her curiosity started to stir.

"I'll get the cups," she told him, walking past him on her way to the kitchen. Sometimes she wished she had servants to do the work for her, but it would be impractical to have anyone else living in her house. She located the cups, then hastily set out some egg tarts she'd picked up from the bakery earlier in the day. It wasn't a perfect match for drinking sake, but tasty all the same.

When she returned, she found that Clow had made himself comfortable on her divan. She usually didn't like sharing her space, but Clow was again an exception to her rules. She took a seat next to him, sitting less than a foot apart, close enough that she could reach out and stroke the velvet of his robe if she wanted to. Mentally she smacked herself for even thinking such a thought. "So where's the sake?"

He pulled a bottle out from someplace she couldn't see. "Would you like to pour? It always tastes better when served by a pretty woman."

She cast him a not-amused look. "You're just lazy."

"But honest."

She laughed and shook her head, but obliged by filling their cups. "Kampai!" they toasted, before downing the first measure.

"So what have you been working on this past year?" Yuuko asked, finally giving her curiosity voice.

"Do you want to see?" he asked eagerly, and out of character. Clow was always proud of his work, but he always maintained a modicum of modesty about his achievements. Right now he looked like a little boy who couldn't wait to share the good grade he'd gotten in class.

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise," she replied a bit sharply.

He reached into his pocket and produced something about the size of his hand. Yuuko thought it looked like a playing card, although the back of it was a flamboyant arrangement of Clow's magical symbol.

"The Flower," she read, noting the use of English. It was the language of his father, but she'd always thought he preferred Chinese. "Very pretty," Yuuko said, drawling a bit with mixed sarcasm. The art was quite interesting, a young woman standing amid a bunch of flowers, but it wasn't spectacular. If Clow had spent a year making this, it was either a dud project or something more was going on.

He smiled and tossed the Card into the air, tapping it with his ever-present wizard's staff. "Flower!" he called, and then the world changed.

Yuuko's jaw actually dropped in amazement as a spirit sprung forth from the artwork. A beautiful-female form smiled and laughed as she twirled around the room, scattering flowers in her wake. Then the figure winked at Yuuko, and faded from sight.

This was impossible. "What have you _done_ Clow Reed?" Yuuko asked in her most dangerous tones, rising to her feet as she prepared to do... something... if she didn't like the answer. Her mind was a cacophony of thoughts she couldn't even begin to sort out, but one overriding one rose among the others: she was the Dimension Witch. She could not let an imbalance stand.

Seeing a spirit – a living spirit – imprisoned in a material construct defied all the rules of magic. Seals weren't supposed to be used to cage benign creatures, especially not to serve as "slaves" to the whim of magicians.

Clow didn't seem worried. "I've solved the problem of creating permanent contracts with spirits," he said, and his eyes shone with pride.

"Explain," she demanded. Spirit contracts tended to come at very high prices, and like spirits, they were transitory things.

"In exchange for their responding to my summoning without an elaborate ritual, I offer them a bit of my power," he replied.

"So?" She didn't understand. That was always the exchange – spirits came in return for a bit of magical energy.

"It's a continuous, open contract rather than a one-off deal. The card represents a gateway which I'm constantly supplying a bit of energy to," he replied.

The idea was brilliant in its simplicity, which was pure Clow Reed. He operated on the principal based on Occam's Razor – there was virtue in following the easiest route. But what he was doing was like turning on a magical spout, and never turning it off.

"Won't that drain you dry?" she asked, wondering if he was crazier than she'd believed.

He dropped his eyes for a moment, and his customary smile faded a bit. "I have the resources," he replied. "My power regenerates too fast for the Cards to have much of an affect on me."

She understood. Better than anyone else in all the worlds, she knew it was possible to have too much power. She had known Clow was powerful, too, but she hadn't realized until this moment that he might actually surpass hers. He was looking at her, waiting for some kind of reaction.

"I'm sorry," she said, instead of congratulating him on his achievement. His confession had been one of trust, and she could only respond in kind. "Such strength is a terrible burden to bear."

And then she kissed him.

* * *

Three days after her scrying, she decided to broach the topic of Yue's future again. Yuuko wasn't eager to have the discussion, but avoiding the issue would only result in more problems in the long run.

She waited until dinner, after he had brought out pork chops and potatoes. They were cook nicely, although she thought both could use a little more seasoning, since they tasted bland. Yuuko was wise enough not to point that out. While Yue was here, she was going to enjoy having someone else do the cooking. It was the only benefit of his presence she'd been able to think of.

"How about you sit down, Yue?" she asked, gesturing to the chair across the table.

Yue flowed into _seiza_, pliant to her request because in his twisted mind, she was filling the role of some kind of surrogate master in Clow's absence. She wondered what it would take to make him _upset_ again, but since the rainy night he'd arrived, Yue had found his equilibrium. He was aligned to the night, and knew how to hide his feelings in the darkness of his soul.

She finished her dinner as he watched her eat, before setting the fork down on her plate. "How do you like my home, Yue?" she asked.

"It's fine," he replied. He sat looking at her unblinkingly, his hands folded in his lap.

"Just fine? You don't find it a place of wonder and magic?" she asked, partially joking and partially annoyed. Her home was full of fantastic things, and he'd had fairly free rein. From what she could tell, he hadn't explored the place at all.

"I lived with Clow Reed," he answered. His stare remained uncompromising. "I am already familiar with magic. And there are few things left in this world – in any – that can make me feel awe."

"Such a sad way to live." She wasn't sure if she was being facetious or not. "But despite what you may want, you are alive, Yue. Your master is not. Clow Reed is dead."

Yue flinched at her statement. She had been cruel to speak so bluntly, but it was a truth they both needed to hear. It awakened an old loneliness in her heart, breaking the scab that had kept her safe since Clow had died.

"What if I want to join him?"

His softly spoken question didn't frighten her the way it might have scared most people. She considered it a sign of trust that he would ask her. Yue wasn't able to starve himself to death, which meant he'd have to be more proactive, should he decide to end his life. And some Wishes ended that way, although Yuuko didn't like making those sales.

Many of her customers considered suicide since she only sold to those in _need_, and she would occasionally sell them materials to aid in their own deaths. Yuuko maintained a private loathing for them, those people who were too weak to face whatever problem drove them over the edge.

And she knew what Yue was. He was stronger than that, no matter how despondent he was. This was merely part of his grieving process.

"You cannot. You have a soul, Yue. And the cost of killing is too high a burden for anyone to bear. And even if you do succeed in killing yourself, you will not be reunited with Clow. His soul has already moved beyond your reach." She remembered the man, and the boy. Knowing for a fact that Clow had already reincarnated made the path clearer for them.

"Then what is to become of me?" he asked. He raised his hands, to the table, no longer docile. "I cannot stay here."

She pulled out her pipe and lit it before answering. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure that out," she replied, before breathing out some of the sweet fumes into the air. "You must accept that the life you had is gone now."

"How?" And that one question contained all his despair, his inability to see beyond Clow Reed.

She wasn't going to indulge him with any trite platitudes. "It will be difficult. There is no shortcut through grief, no way to ease the pain except time."

"I don't want that time," he replied, and despite his monotone, he was speaking from the heart. "All I want is something I'll never have, and I think I'm entitled to be upset about that." He stood and floated out of the room, his robes trailing along the floor as he showed his back to her. It was a calculated insult, but Yuuko didn't care. Yue was petty, but so was she.

She and Yue were too alike. Across the centuries, she heard her mother's voice in her ears: _You will never have what you want most._

She studied the space Yue had vacated, and realized there was only one solution available to her. The prices had been paid, through Clow's last Wish and Yue's own suffering. As she took another drag on her pipe, she felt the tensed muscles in her shoulders start to relax.

For Yue, there would be someone out there, the someone meant just for him. "You will be happy, Yue," she said, using the power of giving words voice, of speaking an idea into true existence. "You will find someone to love you."

Or that someone would find him. She would just have to make sure he was in the right place for that meeting to take place.

That was _hitsuzen_. 


End file.
